No Cry Sleep Training Methods

Many babies do not require any sleep training at all. From Day One they are able to fall asleep on their own and sleep through the night. However, many parents are not this lucky and if you find that you are at your wit’s end, then it might be time for sleep training.

There are two popular sleep training camps out there the Controlled Crying methods and the no-cry methods. Controlled Crying methods involve leaving your baby to self-settle and learn to sleep without the need to be rocked or fed. However, it often involves several nights of tears in order to reach the end goal. No cry methods involve teaching your baby to self soothe and fall asleep on her own without resorting to tears.

Of course, any parent would choose the latter. After all, why listen to your baby cry when there is another way? However, the downside is that no-cry sleep methods don’t always work and they often take a lot more time and patience. Below is a breakdown on some of the popular no-cry methods and what to expect:

The Sears Method

William Sears is probably the most popular no-cry sleep training advocate and he addresses the problem with Controlled Crying methods and offers an alternative approach in The Baby Sleep Book. Sears, essentially speaking, suggests that babies should be rocked, cuddled and fed to sleep and in time will learn to put themselves to sleep on their own. He suggests that making bedtime a positive experience will help your baby to develop healthy sleep habits down the road.

The No-Cry Sleep Solution Method

The No Cry Sleep Solution is another popular book by Elizabeth Pantley which addresses various techniques to help your baby self soothe without having to constantly rock her or feed her back to sleep. She suggests using techniques like patting your baby and letting him fall asleep with you close by. She suggests responding immediately if he does cry but, with time and patience, to slowly teach him to go to sleep on his own with you by his side. Eventually this will lead him to do it himself without the need to be touched, patted or ssh sshed to sleep.

The Hogg Method

Tracey Hogg wrote Secrets of the Baby Whisperer and suggests using a pick-up-put-down method in which you respond immediately to the cries of your baby by picking him up and then putting him back down over and over again. By the end of this sleep training you may have sore arms but many parents swear this works.

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to sleep training your baby but if you find that your baby is constantly waking up and cannot fall asleep without you, then it may be time to look into your options. If Controlled Crying methods have not worked for you or if you are not willing to give them a try, then no-cry methods of sleep training may be a better fit for your family.